Greenwich Rotary Club Gives $5,000 to Heart Care International

Contributed photo: Heart Care International Founder and CEO Dr. Robert Michler of Riverside, Connecticut (second from right), accepts the Greenwich Rotary Club donation. From left are Rotarians Linda Baulsir and Dieter Blennemann and Greenwich Rotary Club President Sally Parris.

Heart Care International, a Greenwich-based nonprofit organization that provides lifesaving heart-care procedures for children in developing countries, has announced that the Greenwich Rotary Club has donated $5,000 to support expanding its outreach this year.

The Rotary presented the donation Feb. 25 after Heart Care International Founder and CEO Dr. Robert Michler of Riverside discussed Heart Care International’s mission, accomplishments and future at a Rotary luncheon meeting. An internationally renowned heart surgeon, author and lecturer, Michler is surgeon-in-chief and professor at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, as well as chairman of surgery and chairman of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery.

“Heart Care International is a perfect match for our charitable giving, which supports organizations in the local community and internationally,” Greenwich Rotary Club President Sally Parris said in a statement. “We thank Dr. Michler for introducing us to Heart Care International through his informative presentation. We are proud to be not only a fellow community member with Heart Care International but also a partner in its lifesaving mission.”

Michler said, “Heart Care International is honored to receive the support from the Greenwich Rotary Club, a fellow community member and like-minded nonprofit organization, dedicated to helping serve the underprivileged abroad who have heart disease and no hope for receiving care. This gift will save the lives of children and assure them of a bright future. Every dollar donated to Heart Care International goes directly to patient care since our board underwrites administrative expenses.”

Michler founded Heart Care International 21 years ago. Michler is a member of the Second Congregational Church in Greenwich which continues to support the organization’s efforts.

Heart Care International has cared for more than 1,900 children and performed lifesaving heart procedures on more than 1,000 additional children in Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Peru. This year, Heart Care International is establishing a new mission in Chiapas, the poorest state in Mexico.

Leading pediatric heart-care professionals from prestigious medical centers across the United States dedicate their time and expertise to visit underserved countries to save the lives of young children with congenital heart defects.

Heart Care International also trains host-country physicians and nurses to become proficient in caring for children in their own countries. Heart Care International commits to spend at least five years partnering with a team and a hospital in a host country, helping clinicians develop skills and benefit optimally from training. Through the Allison Scholarship Fund, Heart Care International sends doctors, nurses and other medical personnel to the U.S., Mexico City and Guatemala City for additional specialty training.

For more information on Heart Care International, including how to donate, please visit www.heartcareintl.org, call 203-552-5343 or email info@heartcareintl.org.

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